


Hitting Rock Bottom

by csealia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A little adashi sprinkled in there, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), CPR, Cave-In, Claustrophobia, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Emotional Talks, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Keith (Voltron) Whump, Krolia is an amazing mom, M/M, Mission Fic, Missions Gone Wrong, NOW WITH ART!!!, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Voltron whump, broganes, just a hint of shadam for flavor, klance, klangst, shiro is a great brother, texas kogane mentioned, two bros chilling under rubble five feet apart cuz they can't move
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-07-07 15:04:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15910689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/csealia/pseuds/csealia
Summary: When a mission goes wrong (surprise surprise) and my two lovely boys end up trapped under an entire collapsed Galra base, they have a lot of time to talk. Well, as long as the oxygen doesn't run out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just love putting my boys through hell don't I?

PROLOGUE:  
It was just like any other mission.  
But thats how it always is right?  
Its always normal until it, no matter how much you hope, it isn’t.  
_______  
The neon lights of his suit were the only things keeping him from being plunged into complete darkness. But even they were dimmed by the not yet settled dust which flew freely.

His throat burned as he helplessly inhaled small particles of dirt and rubble flying around him. Welp, no helmet. Check. 

He looked up, as he was sprawled on his back, and took in his what little he could see. The armor diminished how far he could crane his neck, but there wasn't much to see anyway. He saw that the rafters above him had settled into a sort of tent shape, somehow and luckily laying against each other like a deadly tepee. A few metal pipes poked out of the slab of cold stone around him and acted as support beams to this structure; they held most of the weight, which seemingly eliminated the possibility of being crushed. 

He went through his checklist, putting most of the steps on hold, seeing as he couldn't really move.

His right arm, throbbing, but not yet with pain, more so from the pressure, was pinned under a cascade of rubble that fell uncomfortably close to his face. The mini avalanche had fallen past the bigger boulders and sat on top of his right wrist, but his hand, when rolled around, felt free of the restraint of the burial. He could move his fingers with little trouble, but move too much and he risked disturbing the heap, and that wasn't something he was willing to test.  
He rolled his wrist slowly and monotonously, taking care to not agitate the rocks, and managed to reach the ground on the other side. Recognizing something definitely not rock, he reached every digit to its full capacity. The throbbing of his wrist became more unbearable, but he found it again. His finger brushed against something distinctly not cold. He poked it hesitantly, but it moved away before he could investigate further.

Did he really miss someone when they were evacuating the base?!

“H-” His throat felt like it was caked with flour. He coughed and spat out whatever he could, but his voice still didn’t feel like his own. He swallowed past the lump in his raw throat and tried again, 

“Hey! Can you hear me?!” Keith shouted, praying that the being was alive and able to understand him.

He heard a groan, a sound he was annoyingly familiar with.

“…cinco minutos más.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! If you’re interested, I also have a fic called Deep Blue Depths that, if you love klangst as much as I do, you should go check out!
> 
> But read this one first please :3


	2. Feel Me Close to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys find themselves in quite a jiffy here, but their relationship seems to be a little different because of an interaction just a few days earlier...

+[Three days prior]+

It was a quiet day at the castle, a rarity during the upbringing of the coalition. The paladins were sitting in the common room, each doing their own things, enjoying the peace of a simple break. 

None of them had gotten more than four hours of sleep in the last three days, and it was evident that they were all feeling the extreme fatigue.

Pidge was curled up and wedged against Hunk’s left, a bright green cotton blanket pulled over her tiny frame and framing her head like a hood. Hunk had his headphones in, listening to some early 2000’s bop and fighting to stay awake, and Lance was leaning against Hunk’s right, comfortably sandwiching him in a ball of warmth. Lance had been the only one to change into his pjs, but was the only person not currently drifting to sleep. After all, he had to hone in his slipping focus to catch one more charazard on his gameboy.  
Keith laid to the right of Lance, almost perfectly mirroring Pidge, his shoulders pushed into Lance like a personally-made chair. His eyes were closed, but he was vaguely awake, listening to the blips and beeps of Lance’s gameboy that he held just a few inches from Keith’s head. He didn’t mind at all, the sound of Lance’s heart took most of Keith’s attention as he further drifted off.  
Hunk noticed that Pidge had finally fallen asleep, saw Keith following suit, and was honestly starting to get a headache from the blaring sounds of Lance’s game, so he jostled his shoulder, disturbing Lance from his trance.  
“Hey… I’m gonna carry Pidge to her bed so she can actually sleep horizontally… Why don't you take Keith to his room too?” Hunk said in a hushed tone.  
Lance finally blinked after maybe fifteen minuets of straight staring at the tiny screen. He looked up at Hunk and saw he was right. Lance lifted his gameboy up and saw Keith’s usually silent breaths had morphed into deep snores. His brain made him notice the obvious curl Keith’s eyelashes, and how thick they seemed to be at this angle. Hunk’s soft voice brought him back to reality.

“And why don't you get some sleep too dude? You look like a hot mess.”

“I’m flattered you even included hot.”

That earned an exhausted smile from both of them.  
Hunk lifted Pidge into his arms, easily, and started his way to drop her off at her room. As he walked, he mentally flipped through his recipe book, planning to bake something sweet and full of caffeine for everyone when they woke up.

With his burley backboard now gone, Lance felt the full weight of Keith on his chest. The warmth and… total lack of awkwardness surprised Lance. He set his gameboy down on the couch, took Keith’s shoulders and lifted him up slightly, letting the messy black ball of a ponytail slide from his shoulder and sway freely.

Keith groaned and opened his eyes only enough to form a scowl.  
“…Wut?” he murmured.

Lance stood up, making Keith fall flat onto the couch, and walked in front of him.

“Let’s get you back to your room. You look awful.” He said with a lighthearted tone. Keith let out another more drawn out groan and he sat up, though his eyes were still obviously fighting to remain open. He raised his arms up and opened his hands.

“Good idea. Help me.”

“What like carry you? You're not an infant.”

“C’mon…I’m tired.”

“You think I’m not??”

“Dude it was your idea to bring me back to my room…” he brought a lazily pointed finger up to Lance’s face, “…your fault.”

Lance sighed overzealously, but took Keith’s hand and hoisted him up, slinging his arm firmly over his shoulder.

“Onward.” Keith muttered, with the most excited voice he could muster.

They made it to Keith’s room after only one incident of Keith almost falling asleep standing up, almost succeeding in bringing Lance down with him. He apparently hadn't realized just how exhausted he was too.  
Lance opened Keith’s door and practically dragged him into the cold, undecorated room. He sat down onto his bed and unhooked his arm, letting Keith fall back onto the mattress. And with one untuck of his arm from underneath him, he seemed to fall asleep instantly.

Lance sighed again, this time more miffed. He lifted Keith’s legs up one at a time, slipping his snug boots off and dropping them beside the bed. He tucked his legs onto the bed, which Keith then pulled up into his chest in a half-assed fetal position. Lance tugged the blanket out from under him and placed it up at his shoulders, letting the material settle on the rigid outline of Voltron’s new, and absolutely drained leader.

“You’re welcome…” Lance whispered, more in a teasing way than anything biting.  
He stood up from the bed and turned to leave when a tug at his pajama bottoms stopped him. He looked back and saw a very half-asleep Keith gripping the soft, spiderman printed pants.

“You’re leaving?”  
“Uh yeah dude, I’m tired too.”

A beat passed and Keith’s face seemed to show a sense of confusion, like the solution to the problem was so painfully obvious.

“Then just stay here.”

Lance’s face flushed despite knowing Keith’s innocent intentions.

Keith scooted back against the wall, and weakly lifted the covers, inviting the other inside.

Lance only took a few seconds to contemplate before conceding to join him. Lance scooted onto the mattress, his body quickly sensing just how bushed he truly was as soon as his back settled into the firm mattress. He laid with his back against Keith, his cold heels knocked into Keith’s warm toes, but neither of them moved. Judging on how quiet Keith was, he was definitely asleep now.  
His warm breath tickled the nape of Lance’s neck, and the slow rhythm of his inhales and exhales were almost hypnotic. He used the delicate symphony as a tether as he fell into a deep, well deserved, sleep.  
______________

No no no no no no no no

“Lance?!”

“What… Keith!?”

“Fuck, Lance! Why the hell did you come back!?”

“You think you could just charge into a collapsing building and not have your teammate be a little concerned???”

Fucking fantastic. How could he just blindly follow him into such a dangerous situation? Now Voltron would be without two paladins rather than just one, and it was because Lance didn’t think ANYTHING through. 

Keith’s chest tightened with a sudden burst of rage.

“I TOLD YOU TO GET THE SURVIVORS AND LEAVE.” He yelled, his voice cracking and protesting against the unwanted burst of pain.

He was taken aback when he was greeted with an equally frustrated and gravelly voice shouting a muffled, “WELL MAYBE IF YOU JUST LEFT WITH ME INSTEAD OF BEING YOUR SELFLESS-RECKLESS-SELF WE WOUDN’T BE IN THIS SITUATION.” through the wall separating them.

There was a beat of silence while both of them heaved. 

The Black and Red lions were already packed with people, but there was a chance, admittedly a very small chance, that there were more people trapped in the building. Keith just wanted to make sure no one else was in the base and ordered the two lions to head back. Why was Lance yelling at him for wanting to save everyone possible person? 

Before he could further contemplate a weak voice broke through the wall again.  
“We saved everyone we possibly could. The Galra were right behind us and the building was already half down…How does that scream ‘yeah totally run back in’... You're our leader. You should know we can’t afford to lose Voltron during this war…”

Looking back, the building was in really back shape by the time Keith had decided that to take one more sweep of the main floor. He just wanted to be sure…

He felt a tugging in his chest, picturing Lance’s frustrated yet terrified face when he went back through the doors. And I mean... it was technically his fault they were now trapped under possibly tons of rubble…

“I’m sorry.”

A beat.

“What?”

He cleared his throat. “And I’m sorry I yelled.”

“I did yell back.”

He managed a laugh “Are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine… I’m pinned on my stomach but I’m okay.”

He heard a shuffling of pebbles that told him Lance was testing the limitations of his movements. The sound of plastic scrapping against a rocky ground ripped through the silence.

“Try not to move too much. There’s no telling how fragile this structure is… it could crush us if we make the wrong call.”

“Hm. Noted.”

“My helmet got knocked off and I don't see it near me. Do you have yours?”

“Yeah, but the comms are just intermittent static. Out of range I think”

“Well, I think that means the signal is still live, all we need is someone to get in range. Just keep it close and listen for anything abnormal. We may only get a few chances to tell someone we are down here.”

“Why don't I just call Red-”

“No. That's our last resort. If a giant lion just starts jigging into these unstable rocks, they could crush us before they even get close to saving us.”

“Noted again... Can you even feel your lion?”

“Barely. They're probably delivering the survivors back to the castle like we originally planned...They'll hopefully lead the lions back here, but we need to listen to the comms to tell them exactly where we are and how deep the rubble is above us.”

The fact that Keith had thought about every possible escape was impressive but also very disheartening. If he thought of everything and still wasn't completely sure that they were getting out, how realistic was it that they were even getting out of this?

“Got it… Why weren't you this rational when this building was crumbling down on top of you Mullet?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait!!!! I just started my senior year and its been hectic so far, but I'll try to post more consecutively from now on!


	3. Stay Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance just wants to comfort Keith but Keith doesn't want to use up any more air than he has to. They'll manage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated the previous two chapters to make it sound better and fixed a few inconsistencies. Check them out!

Lance continued to listen intently to the steady yet dizzying stream of static in his helmet. He wasn't claustrophobic per-se, but he certainly wasn't enjoying this little excursion. A beam had seemingly landed to the right of him and fell across his legs at a weird angle, his left leg being pinned while his right was free to writhe with the discomfort.

He couldn't help but hear the small voice in the back of his head that told him this was a pretty hopeless situation. He tried desperately to stop himself from continuing. 

If Lance craned his neck down and looked under the crook of his armpit, he could vaguely see Keith’s hand, laying dependent of any visible arm or body, just jutting out from a wall of tightly packed wreckage to his side. If he fought against the pain of his leg and managed to bend his knee to pull his torso back, he could reach it… if he really wanted to.

And despite the very visible junk floating all around him, the air laid heavy and stagnant on Lance’s back, almost like he was being slowly crushed by the air itself rather than the boulders around him. Maybe he was claustrophobic.

Keith was silent say for his labored breathing that he was unable to alleviate for more than a few seconds at a time.

Paladin suits recycled moisture to keep the wearer hydrated, and luckily Lance still had his helmet. Keith had seemingly lost his during the collapse, and was at the mercy of the thin yet filthy air. If he couldn't help but feel helpless, he couldn't imagine how Keith felt.

He sounded panicked to say the least. His breathing was shallow and quick on the inhale, like he was trying whatever he could to shield himself from inhaling more particles. Every other breath wheezed as it tore past the unwelcome coating of grim, now most likely in his lungs, and not helping the whole process of actually getting a good breath. He could picture Keith on the other side of that wall, face contorted in almost unbearable discomfort, not daring to alarm Lance but unable to hide the coarse voice that he adopted whenever he managed to speak.

He wanted to comfort Keith. He wanted to just make him feel less… trapped.

He pulled his hand down as far as he could, sticking his backside in the air while trying to at least lace a finger. He managed to graze one digit, but the boulder on his leg gave way, letting his pinned leg turn to the side, but immobilizing it even further. The new pressure was brutal, but he managed to not yelp.

On the bright side, his hand could easily reach Keith’s now.

“Lance are you alright?!” Keith’s coarse voice said.

He intertwined his fingers into Keith’s without warning, and he was greeted by a cold that somehow managed to reach his senses even through Keith's gloves.

Keith’s shallow rhythm was disrupted at the surprise of the touch.

Keith couldn't altogether feel what was happening to his hand on the other side of the rubble, but he felt it be enveloped by something warm. He could barley feel his fingers, but he could feel fingers wrapping around his own, and his accelerated heart rate seemed to slow down exponentially. The roaring rush of blood in his ears dissipated and he tried his hardest to hold his hand back.

After a beat, Keith used his thumb and forefinger to flip Lance’s hand over. Then after steadying his grip, he started tapping on his palm. 

God, please let him know morse code.

_‘to-conserve-air’_ he tapped.

Without missing a beat, Lance responded out loud.

“Oh good idea! And you don't have to strain your voice anymore.”

Keith felt his a smirk tug at his lips. Lance had managed to impress him, even in such a crappy situation. 

_‘when did u learn morse?’_ Keith tapped, slower than he would've liked.  


“I have a lot of little cousins. We had a secret code. Well kinda not secret, seeing anyone who bothered to learn morse knew it too.”

_‘tell me about your cousins’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy so long time no see! sorry for the wait! I'll try my hardest to get future updates out sooner rather than later.


	4. We Got Nothing But Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some boys talking about some soft stuff

Lance couldn't help but talk; neither liked being consumed by the silence for too long. Granted, Lance had the constant droning of the static in his helmet to keep him out of silence, but the static was almost more maddening. They needed to converse to remain sane.

“You said you didn’t remember me when we rescued Shiro!”

_‘I was a little preoccupied at the moment back then, ya know, saving my brother, but I did in fact remember you’_

“There’s no excuse!”

_‘but what about when you saved my ass by shooting that soldier - you said you didn’t remember that’_

“I—that doesn't relate to this!”

_‘yes it does’_

“Just let me be mad!”

_‘just admit it - i know you remember - you called us a good team.’_

Why lie? They were kinda stuck down there, with only each other, why continue to lie?

“I…okay fine yeah I remember. We weren't really close back then… and I didn’t want to make it weird…”

_‘i knew it’_

“Yeah yeah… okay your turn again.”

Keith only took a second to think of another thing he wanted to get off his chest.  
 _‘i have been stealing your gameboy’_

“Wait—What?!”

_‘only when you're not in the middle of a pressing gym battle’_

“Is that why whenever I loaded up my Legend of Zelda I was in another dungeon??”

_‘yeah… sorry…’_ Keith seemed breathless again, despite not moving an inch.

“Why? To confuse me?? To make me question my sanity???”

_‘i just wanted to have something to talk to you about’_

“I knew it! I knew—”

Lance’s train of thought derailed, violently. Well that wasn't what he was expecting him to say…

_‘i know it is weird - i have never had any video games and you play all the time,” his stretched his stiff fingers before continuing, ‘so i wanted to be able to talk to you about it’_

He had stolen his game… just to be able to talk to him about something he really enjoys…  
   
Wow okay why was he so flattered right now???  
   
Why not keep this train going?

“I’ve been sparring with the gladiator whenever I can’t sleep so I can actually work with a weapon other than my rifle.”

_‘that is awesome Lance - it is extremely valuable to be versatile in the field’_

“And so I can spar with you when I get good enough.”

_‘i would be honored’_ Keith tapped, and Lance could practically hear his underlying sarcastic tone. 

“I’m up to level 5 so you bet I’m gonna beat your ass.”

_‘that is cute - i am on level 10’_  
—  
They continued to talk like they had been friends for their entire lives. They joked, teased and owned up to a lot of things. They may not to be able to physically clear the air, but they may as well clear it metaphorically. 

Keith’s breaths had become more and more emphatic, and Lance could easily hear them even over the sound of the static. He was still inhaling the dirty air, and every time he tried to clear his throat, he could only cough up so much before inevitably inhaling more trachea shredding specks. It was a loosing battle to try to get a remotely clean and relieving inhale now.

Lance had kept him from focusing too much on the discomfort. He kept him awake and engaged, as well as kept his hand from going completely numb. He could only hope that Keith was okay over there, not suffering and not minding the continuous conversation.

Lance’s helmet had notified him that the air around him was getting thinner, but that the air in the armor would continue to flow as long as his helmet stayed on.

His leg was beyond numb now. In fact, he couldn't even feel the pressure anymore. He didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but he was enjoying that break from the intense, throbbing pain.

“So that’s why I don't trust slides anymore.”

Keith heaved a laugh, which quickly turned into a string of coughs. Wet coughs, violently ripping through him, no doubt ravaging his already raw throat. He cleared his throat as best he could, which was almost futile.

_‘why were you even at a Chucky Cheese when you were 16 - were you not a little old for that place?’_

“Hey don't judge I was there for my cousin’s birthday and what was I supposed to do? Not enjoy myself?”

_‘touché’_

His breaths were so wheezy. He sounded like he was on the verge of having an asthma attack.

“Okay your turn.”

_‘ok…”_ He cleared his throat and cracked his knuckles, trying to return as much feeling as possible. He was preparing to tell a longer story.

_‘my dad and i used to star gaze every night when we lived in the desert - even after he had a 9-5 shift at the firehouse he would not miss one night - we would stay out there until we couldn't bare the cold or our necks cramped too much - whatever came first’_

Lance’s heart fluttered picturing a mini-Keith, cuddling up to his father and just starring, awe-struck, up at the stars. It’s surreal how they're now so far beyond them now.

_‘the year before he died - he gave me a telescope - we didn’t have much money as he was mostly a volunteer firefighter - but I had never seen anything like it before - we went out every night with it and we took turns finding the planets - i will never forget when we found saturn for the first time’_

His finger seemed to cramp, as he paused, clenched his fist and released before continuing. 

_‘it is only visible during late summer and early fall - so I always thought that Saturn was my planet - that it came out only for my birthday month’_

Lance didn’t dare interrupt him. This was the very first time that Keith was telling such a personal story to him. Granted they had been talking for hours now, but those stories were more about his days at the Garrison, never his life before.

_‘the telescope was not great - like we could not see the surface of the planet but we could see the rings in extreme clarity - it looked like an eye almost - the rings were in a phase where the space between them and the planet looked very round - like the a giant white eye in the sky - i looked for it every night in october - qnd always raved about how it was all mine’_

Lance could practically see the reminiscent smile on his lips.

_‘dad never told me otherwise either - he always said saturn was my planet - even after he died I went out every night and looked for it - I was only ten - nine - when he passed away - so I always told myself he went to go get it for me - he went to go get Saturn and bring it closer for me - i always told myself that the night that I could see saturn clearly without the telescope he would come back - i checked every night even when I was in the foster system’_

Lance’s heart dropped. He didn’t really put two and two together that Keith had been a foster kid for most of his childhood… how did he not realize that? 

_‘shiro found me when i was fourteen - and even though I knew by then that my dad was not coming back - I kind of found a piece of him in shiro - i looked up to him as a father and older brother - someone I could really count on’_

He stretched his fingers again.

_‘so when he got lost in space it was like my dad all over again - so you can imagine my thought process when I heard he was back on earth - i just needed to see him - make sure it was really him’_

Lance listened like his life depended on it.

_‘i love him like family because he is my only family left - he came back - maybe not from Saturn - but from farther beyond my little planet - i needed to follow him this time - i needed to be like him - so maybe that is why i went back into the building - because i thought that is what shiro would do’_

Lance’s stomach twisted. He wanted to hug him, to comfort him. He wanted desperately to take him in his arms and shake him, telling his that voltron was his family too.

_‘ok - your turn’_


	5. Keep Me Tethered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The air is getting real thin...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS I CHANGED A FEW THINGS

One might be able to attribute motherly instinct as to why they had left in such a hurry, but one can also credit the giant black and red space cats showing up at their front door, with the other Voltron lions close behind. When the worried paladins' comms connected, and were distinctly lacking in the voice of her son and his friend, Krolia felt something arise in her chest unlike anything she’d ever felt before. 

She sat in the pilot’s seat of the small shuttle, body covered in a thin but omnipresent layer of sweat. Kolivan stood behind her, holding onto her seat with one hand, and her blade in the other. The blade hummed and bled a dim lavender hue, pulsing ever so slightly in his tight grasp. It felt heavy and light all at the same time, like the air around it was gripping Kolivans hand right back.

With a bad feeling more engrossing than anything she’d ever experienced, she piloted close behind the Black and Red as they led them through space. And with every second, she and the three Voltron lions following close behind them grew more and more uneasy.

________

The static was starting to drown out his own thoughts. Lance continued to drone on about some story about how his sister stole his first girlfriend, but it was practically word vomit and didn’t make much sense. It was like the static was making his own thoughts echo in his mind, and every time it got too loud, his words jumbled. But he could still hear Keith’s shallow breaths. He sounded like he was on the verge of hyperventilating. Hyperventilating led to unconsciousness… and unconsciousness in a CO2 rich environment led to…  
He stopped mid-story.

“Keith. Hey. You with me?”

His hand shook noticeably as he lifted it to start tapping out his silent sentence. Lance could barley translate the stumbling fingers.

_i am_

Short and sweet. Very Keith. But Lance wasn't comforted.

“Is… is there anything else I should be doing?”

 _just keep listening for the other paladins - if you feel red, make sure she does not kill us by digging without the other paladins help_ at the last word Keith let his hand drop limp next to Lance’s. It made Lance feel sick. 

“Got it…”

Lance wanted to keep talking like nothing was wrong. He wanted to pretend that Keith wasn't in a tremendous amount of pain at this very second. He wanted to pretend that his own leg wasn't starting to feel like it was slowly being crushed. But he couldn’t pretend anymore. This was happening. Everything was happening.

“Keith I need you to keep talking with me.”

His pointer finger stirred. He lifted his hand up as much as he could. 

_just keep listening - do not worry about me_

His limp hand flopped down again. 

“I just need you to keep talking. You need to stay awake.”

 _just listen_ his hand barely managed to tap out before it fell again.

“Keith come on buddy.”

A bead of sweat welled on Lance’s brow. He raised his voice.

“Hey Mullet!”

His fingers didn’t even flinch. Lance's breath hitched.

“Keith!”

No movement. None.

Lance grabbed Keith’s hand, gripping it as tight as he could hoping for a reaction. Maybe his hand was just numb. Yeah. It was numb and he couldn't move it. His pulse began to overshadow the static, and he couldn't hear his own voice. He knew he was calling Keith’s name. Begging for him to so much as squeeze his hand so he knew he was okay. 

Lance laced his fingers into his. Keith’s fingers sprung back to their open position like a spring trap; sickeningly coldness piercing through his glove to meet Lance’s. Lance felt like he was going to throw up. His other hand shook and his breathing started to go raspy.

I-It couldn’t’ve even been that long since they’d gotten stuck down here… but how long were they unconscious, sucking up the air without knowing it was limited. But Keith couldn't be… He’s the leader now. He’s the black paladin now he cant leave them without their leader—again. No one else could possibly fly Black. She wouldn't have it. Lance wouldn't have it. He couldn’t.

**He can’t.**

His mind was practically overflowing; the static now completely drowned out by the ceaseless frenzy of mephitic thoughts. 

However, a deviation finally jumped out of the cacophony. 

“Keith? Lance? This is Krolia. I'm here with the other paladins of Voltron. Can you hear me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all of the chapters have changed so go read them to understand the changes to this chapter! (updated Jan5)


	6. So Close

Krolia’s voice ripped his attention from the void. His thoughts stopped all at once, and all he could hear was her voice. She repeated her message, sounding just as worried as any mother would be. 

“Keith and Lance. This is Krolia. Can you hear me?”

Lance really thought he was hearing things. Maybe the oxygen in his suit was finally running out and he was hallucinating. 

He didn’t want to let go of Keith’s hand. He didn’t think he could. But he had to tell them they were down there.

He closed his eyes, tried to get his breathing under control, and let go. He unlaced his fingers and gently let Keith’s hand fall again, but he couldn't look at it. The numbness that spread throughout his arm faded and he reached up to turn on his own comms. A voice that didn’t feel like his, so he spoke quickly and unevenly.

“We’re here.”

Pidge's voice practically screeched through the comms, “Thank God you guys are okay! When your lions came back to the palace without you we—”

“Pidge I don't mean to be a bother but we should probably focus on getting them above ground before we fill them in.” Allura reminded her, sweetly. Her tone was controlled, but her nervousness still stuck out to Lance. 

“We have locked on your helmet’s signal. We are going to start moving rubble but if anything moves down there, tell us immediately.” Hunk said, determination replacing his usually collected tone. 

“Is Keith with you? His helmet doesn't seem to be projecting a signal…” Krolia’s voice asked, quieter than when she spoke before. 

…Of course she noticed Keith wasn't talking.

Lance’s chest felt heavy all over again. He tried to control his voice; he didn’t want it to crack again. He took a deep breath and spoke.

“He’s…He’s next to me, but he is unconscious.” his voice cracked. He didn’t wanted to alarm anyone, but they kinda did need some urgency. “He needs a pod.”

“Starting to move the first beams now… we’ll get to you in no time.” Allura assured. 

Her voice was always so soft when she was nervous. 

Lance’s eyes wondered back down to Keith’s hand and his stomach twisted. 

It was just his hand Lance. Breath.

Just because he wasn't moving his _hand_ doesn't mean he’s not okay.

He’s fine.  
He’s fine.  
**He’s fine.**

The rocks above him shook for a second, disturbing another layer of dust that quickly fell onto his already filthy armor. His hands shook as brought them up to wipe his visor. 

He urged Keith to just flinch, to move in any way, shape or form. But he didn’t.

He couldn't even hear his breathing anymore.

He reached down to his fingers and hesitated, but quickly wrapped his hand around Keith’s again. He prayed the surprise would make him jump, make him pull back his hand, but the same eery coldness met his grasp. 

Lance could barely hear his own voice. “Do you hear that Keith? They found us. They’re coming.”

He couldn't even tell who’s voice echoed in his ears. “Lance, we are getting close to your air pocket. It is very important that you tell us if something seems wrong.” 

Their voices sounded far away, despite the speaker being next to Lance’s ear. They almost sounded like they were under water. He brought his hand up and quickly responded.

“Got it.”

Lance tried to ignore how light headed he felt. He focused on picturing what was going on just above him. 

No doubt, Hunk was moving the bigger pieces while Allura and Pidge moved the smaller, lighter beams. Krolia was probably directing them, helping them when pieces got stuck or were at a weird angle. Hunk was—

The rock above his leg slid. Not much, only a few centimeters, if even that, but it was far enough to make him scream.

The numbness of just having a heavy weight on his limb for a long time was gone, replaced entirely by white throbbing pain. And after a second, he felt his bone finally snap under unbearable weight. 

Another scream ripped itself up his throat, no doubt directly into the comms, but he really couldn't help it. Sure, Lance had been in his fair share of fights and accidents, but he had never felt anything like this. It was like someone had dipped a skewer in lava, and swiftly stabbed the whole thing down his leg, kabob style. His vision went black, but somehow he stayed awake.

Hunk, Pidge, and Allura’s voices melted together, becoming an amalgamation of worry and rapid-fire apologies. They sounded even farther away now.

He tried to say he was okay but his voice came out as a gasp, a small exhale of hot breath, and he didn’t want to try again. 

He gripped Keith’s hand. Black dots started to invade his line of sight, and they just kept getting bigger and bigger no matter how many times he blinked. 

After what felt like hours, but was probably only a few seconds, Lance was completely engulfed in the blinding pain.


	7. Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are out! But...

Lance could feel the lion’s spotlights before his eyes even opened. His cheeks, despite his visor being tinted and caked in dirt, flushed at the sudden temp change on his nerves.

His eyes wouldn't open. He was awake, at least his senses were, but his eyes fluttered under heavy lids, urging them to open. His ears were ringing.

It was almost peaceful, really. No pain was throbbing through his leg and the warmth being projected onto him was remarkably soothing compared to the stagnant cold he was stuck in for so long. The heat soaked through his exposed under armor, and his chilled skin greedily lapped it up.

Abruptly and without warning, Lance felt the numbness melt slowly fade from his leg as the pressure started to be lifted off of his leg.

The peace was good while it lasted.

Another intractable scream shredded his already raw throat. Although, that certainly succeeded in making his eyes open.

It was so goddamn bright. Too bright. He tried to rub his eyes, but his hands hit the visor of his helmet.

Oh yeah. Duh.

After a moment, his eyes adjusted and his limited vision was filled by two extremely close faces.

Hunk’s face was taking up most of his sight with Pidge’s forehead and glasses in the far corner of his vision. She was probably asking him questions, and he was probably reassuring him that everything was alright, but Lance could only hear the thunderous ringing, steadily rising in pitch as his eyes scanned all he could see. The pain was… indescribable… but he was elated just to be out of that rubble.  
He reached up to his helmet and tried to push it off, the stubborn shaking of his hands keeping him from getting a good grip. Hunk saw him struggling and immediately went to help him, slipping off the helmet with ease.

His chocolate bangs stuck to his forehead and his chest was heaving, but when that fresh air hit his face, Lance almost started crying.

But then everything rushed back to him. Everything. All of it. The base. Morse code. The pain.

**Keith**

He looked around desperately.

He didn’t need to look for long, as just like when they were buried, Keith was right next to him.

There he was, finally, within arms reach, but when he actually looked at him…

Lance let the tears fall then.

[[some art for this scene]](https://csealia.tumblr.com/post/182179933976/hold-on-hate-to-self-promote-once-again-but)

His hair was sprawled around him like a dark halo, peppered with pebbles and patches of thick sediment. His dry lips were slightly open, and his delicate eyelashes were weighted down by that goddam dust. His cheeks and forehead were caked in that same dust, but it didn’t hide the fact that his face was almost blue.

And the fact that he wasn't responding.

Someone had already taken off his chest armor and was feverishly performing CPR. It took Lance a few moments before he processed who it was.

And Krolia’s face was something Lance wasn't prepared to see.

Her face was contorted in an expression of anguish unlike anything Lance had ever seen before. Her eyes were puffy, her brows were deeply creased and her mouth shook as she struggled to control her breathing.

Her eyes scanned Keith’s face for any response; tears and sweat now falling amply from her face. She thrust her overlapped palms as hard as she could into his chest, intermittently plugging Keith’s nose, tipping his chin back and breathing deep breaths past his dry lips. She was frantic, and despite her no doubt having practice in CPR, Keith remained listless.

Lance knew Krolia was Keith’s mom, but she never really acted like it. To Lance, a mom radiated kindness, but had an underlying strength that only the baddest of the bad would ever have to face. At least his Mamá was like that.

His Mamá would make you feel like part of the family, but wrong any of her children and you could expect some… discomfort.

Krolia always wore her strength right on her sleeve. She was so stoic, and almost aloof, all the time. She always acted like the mission was the only thing that mattered, when in reality, the team was her main priority. She really was just like Keith.

But now all semblance of stability had melted, replaced by unfathomable heartache.

With every push, Keith’s body pulsed up slightly, only to fall flat back down, unmoving. She leaned down and put her ear to his chest, her face falling and tears now streaming freely down her face.

Only then did Lance see that familiar luxite blade strapped to Krolia’s waist. That was Keith’s wasn't it? The usual purple glow was practically non-existent, but every few seconds, a small flicker would catch his eye.

He didn’t want to know what that meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come VERY soon!


	8. Too Close

Allura had been through her fair share of loss in her time, but nothing had prepared her for this. She had just found a family again, one that accepted her and all of her flaws, and now one was laying before her, sprawled out and unresponsive. She felt a heaviness weigh down on her shoulders, despite knowing full well there was nothing she could've done to prevent this from happening.

But she knew she could try to fix it.

Lance noticed Krolia talking to Keith as she continued the compressions. Actually, judging by her facial expressions, she was probably yelling at him…

Allura rushed over to Krolia, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Krolia’s eyes were desperate, pleading, as she looked up at the princess.

Allura said something to her and Krolia’s eyes widened. Her mouth hung open, assumedly in disbelief, and she looked down at Keith’s face. She leaned over him, pushed the dirt and hair from his forehead and planted a light kiss. She lingered close to him after the kiss, and placed her forehead against Keith’s. She said something short, only a few words, but Lance still couldn't tell for sure what she said. She didn’t waste time in getting out of the way and letting the princess take her place by Keith’s side.

Allura sat down where Krolia had been, beautiful sapphire eyes puffy and red.

She placed her hands on Keith’s chest and closed her eyes, brows furrowing in an attempt at concentration. She felt his essence, his very being, and thank the gods, he certainly was still there. Though _there_ was a relative term.

She just needed to get him from there to here.

It only took a tick for her Altean markings to start glowing.

The warm blue seeped from her palms and easily bled through Keith’s thin mesh suit. Her back tensed and slowly started to migrate her hands up towards his head.

Her careful, calculated hand movements were hypnotizing. She placed her right hand right over Keith’s face, steadying it there before placing it down on his forehead.

Before long though, the warm blue light faded, her markings darkened and she opened her eyes. Her arms dropped to her sides and she almost fell backwards if Krolia hadn't steadied her.

Lance could finally, but just barely, hear their voices now.

“Did it work?” Krolia almost yelled.

Allura sat up, but she still didn’t look steady. “I did everything my abilities would allow.”

“What does that mean?!” Krolia _did_ yell this time.

“It’s up to him now.” the princess said, but her face was still unsure.  
Lance’s body moved on its own. Despite Hunk’s protests, he rolled over on his stomach. He dug his elbows into the ground and dragged his lower body like a sack of bricks behind him; a sack of bricks that every once in a while would send a lightweight bolt of blinding pain through his nerves.

He grabbed Keith’s hand.

“C’mon…” was all he could get out. His body was exhausted and his vision was already fading again.

“C’mon Keith.”

_______

Keith knew something was wrong from the moment he opened his eyes.

He was free from the debris, obviously, as he was standing up and was able to breath deeply, but, to be honest, where he was now wasn't much more comforting.

[[art for the scene above]](https://csealia.tumblr.com/post/182071309921/calling-all-klangst-stans-go-check-out-my-latest)

It reminded him of the astral plane, but it wasn't as… bright? The usual pleasant purple hues that floated above were darkened; a heavy vapor blocking out any discernible color other than deep, unending red. The ground was reflective and stretched on in every direction, nothing in sight besides the insides of this unidentified, infinite galaxy. The ‘sky’ was almost overcast, but instead of clouds, the omnipresent stars were concealed by thick, swirling, crimson nebulas.

It looked like a hurricane of stars.

He felt something pulling at his back, not physically, more like a drawing of his entire body to whatever was behind him.

He turned around.

[[some art for THIS scene]](https://www.flickr.com/photos/146069980@N06/46096599204/in/dateposted-public/)

An immeasurable, engrossing void stood behind him, nauseatingly close and moving fast. Keith had seen black holes before, but something about this one was different. The red of the sky above him contorted as the void inhaled the nebulas, one star at a time, leaving only the steadily growing blackness in its wake. The very form of the sky was warping, the colors and depth draining to a 2D image before being devoured.

It pulled at his entire being, and if Keith didn’t have a steady stance, it would've knocked him off his feet right off the bat.

But now the pull was getting a little alarming.

He swiveled on his heel and broke into a sprint in the opposite direction, though with no landmarks in sight, it felt as if he was running on a treadmill. The black hole was still close behind him.

He had stamina, more than most people, but he knew he couldn't just run forever in this endless plane. He needed to somehow escape… a black hole… clearly an easy task.

He looked around, again struck with just how empty while simultaneously crowded the sky was, the gorged edges practically bleeding with garnet colored cosmos. It was so constant, dizzyingly constant.

Although, one outlier stood out in the continuity, one small, minuscule object. The only thing breaking the monotony of red, was a bright blue star just above the horizon.

His legs were starting to betray him now. He knew he couldn't continue this marathon for much longer.

The blue star shown brightly, and for a moment, it pulled him even more than the gapping void trailing behind him.

He didn’t really _feel_ this pull in his person however, more-so in his chest. It gripped his heart and yanked it towards itself.

Suddenly he couldn't feel the pull behind him, he couldn't feel anything, not even the ground under his feet. All he could feel was a soft presence, and a voice reverberating off the nothingness around him.

He leapt for the star.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment telling me what you thought! 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> I crave validation (ಥ﹏ಥ)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey this is very unedited, short and kinda rushed, but i wanted to get this out asap... see end for more notes.

He was weightless.

He wasn't even sure that his legs had enough strength left to propel him off the ground, but apparently he had more than enough.

He hurled towards the star, completely void of any hindrance.

He felt nothing.

Not the air rushing past him, not his hair licking the sides of his face, and not the dread slowly mounting. He couldn't even feel the sheer, but scratchy under-armor on his skin.

He stole a glance behind him, and sure enough the black hole had followed him off the mirrored surface and up towards the beacon.

_…n Keith_

He could hear the voice clearer now, but it rushed past him, seemingly being sucked into the void closing in behind him like everything else.

_Just come back_

He recognized the cadence, the rhythm and the tone. He’d do anything for that voice.

The star was in reach now. But the void was at his back, pulling at his legs and slowing his acceleration down. But it didn’t stop him.

He reached out.

_Come back to me…_

The star was surprisingly small up close, about the size of an apple, but it radiated a pleasant, refreshing iridescence that pulled Keith closer.  
He wrapped one hand around it, the blinding blue being skewed between his fingers. He drew it close to his chest as the pull of the black hole behind him immediately ceased. He turned to find the impending abyss gone.

{[Art for this scene!](https://www.flickr.com/photos/146069980@N06/45984808195/in/dateposted-public/)}

Now floating above the mirrored surface, the beauty of the now unobstructed sky and nebulas struck him, but it was nothing compared to the one star in his hands.

His own perfect blue star.

A fog drifted over him and he felt himself falling, he closed his eyes to brace for impact, but it never came. Rather, he felt a rocky surface meet his back.

Now he could feel everything.

The pain in his throat, the fresh bruises forming on his ribs and the tight grip on his hand.

He opened his eyes, but his vision was cloudy, murky and opaque. He heard… crying? Who…? Why did his chest feel like someone had dropped a boulder on it? Where was he?

Where was Lance?

A pressure built up in his chest, and his temple started throbbing.

Oh. He should probably breath.

Control flooded his senses and he inhaled sharply. The brisk air made his throat scream, and the air quickly escaped with a thunderous gasp.

The sobs were silenced.

He felt his throat begging for a break, but his voice somehow broke through the pain.

"...Guys?"

A beat.

**“KEITH!” ******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys school has been kinda a lot lately and i've been severely uninspired. If this chapter was not to your liking, don't worry! I'll continue to edit and rewrite to make it perfect. Stay tuned!


	10. Home

Before he could grasp just how many voices were even around him, a large hand swiftly slipped under the back of his head and lifted him into an embrace that completely enveloped his frame. Despite all his efforts, he let out a gasp of discomfort.

Yep, his ribs were definitely bruised.

“Oh god sorry, sorry, sorry!”

He unthreaded the stream of voices and tried to assign their owners, his other senses making up for his still murky vision.

“YOU SCARED US, YOU IDIOT!”

“Don't you ever do that again!”

“I knew you wouldn't leave us, Keith”

He didn’t think he’d ever be so thankful to hear Pidge call him an idiot. His eyes stung with hot tears, but another voice sent them down his cheeks.

“Keith…?”

He knew right away. Her voice was timid, not yet trusting, and she was farther away, out of arms reach.

_“Mom”_

In a moment, her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, her sobs drowning out his own. Her wailing was unbridled, a heart wrenching fusion of panic and pure euphoria.

His ribs ached, but his heart, even more so. He tried to bring his hands up to reciprocate the bear hug, but was puzzled when he felt that his right hand was pinned down by something.

He looked over Krolia’s shoulder, and met eyes with _him._

His beautiful, yet dirt-caked cheeks were cut with tears, but nonetheless, his smile was ear to ear.

“I knew you’d hear me.”

A wave of elation unlike anything he’d ever felt washed over him like a tidal wave. It engulfed him and he squeezed his hand back. An urgency to apologize to him rushed over him. He needed to tell him how sorry he was to scare him, to leave him, even if only for a second.

But uh, not to be too ungrateful, but why wasn't Lance hugging him?

Krolia finally let go of his shoulders, stealing a kiss on his cheek as she pulled away. He could see more of Lance now. He was on his back, and since Keith was sitting up with Hunk’s help, he could inspect Lance’s entire body, and it didn't take long for his eyes to fall on Lance’s leg.

His paladin armor did little to withstand the weight that fell on his leg. The white armor was even embedded in his skin at places. Now down to only his under-armor, Keith determined that it looked like he had two knees on one leg. His bone hadn't broke the skin upon the fracture, which was a blessing and a curse, but it was most definitely broken in one of the messiest of ways. His tibia was in two, maybe three pieces, and the fractures pushed on one another, distending the skin out both sides of his calf. His fibula was seemingly intact, but was clearly also being pushed on by the broken bones from the inside.

Keith was surprised Lance was even awake right now.

His face didn’t show a hit of the agony undeniably raging on his nerves. Just that damn smile. That perfect, unbreakable smile.

“You both need pods urgently. We’ll get the beds ready in Blue and Green. Pidge will you assist me?” Allura said, standing up and wiping her face but her smile not fading.

Keith didn’t hear her. Keith took himself out of Hunk’s grasp and scooted himself to close the small distance between him and Lance.

“I knew you wouldn't leave.” Lance said, his voice low and raspy. The exhaustion was creasing his under eyes.

Keith’s breaths were short, his ribs making sure of that, but he scooted his body right next to him with minimum difficulty. Keith gently lifted Lance’s head and rested it in Keith’s lap.

[[Art for this scene!](https://www.flickr.com/photos/146069980@N06/32036391527/in/dateposted-public/)]

Neither of them let go of the other’s hand.

Keith’s hair fell into Lance’s face as he looked down at him. He felt so many things in his chest; guilt, relief and pain were at the top of the list though. If it wasn't for him, Lance…

Fresh tears welled and fell, hitting the bridge of Lance’s nose and falling down his cheeks.

He opened his chapped lips, “I… Lance I’m-“

“You better not be thinking of apologizing.”

Keith visibly tensed.

“This wasn't your fault,” he gestured weakly to his leg with his opposite hand, “I made the decision to go after you. This is on me.”

Keith’s heart pounded so loud he’s sure Lance could hear its increasing tempo. Lance’s signature smug smile spread across his face again.

“But, I’ll tell you what…maybe a thank you?”

Keith couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled past the sobs.

“Thank you. Thank you Lance. Thank you for saving my life.”

A flood of emotion, not exactly thankfulness, not entirely happiness, something deeper in his chest which had yet to surface ever before. A warmth spread from his sternum and up his neck, turning his cheeks and ears a light flush of pink. He bent over, despite his ribs protests, and placed his forehead against Lance’s. His warm skin scared away all the cold that laid in Keith's veins. Keith's shoulders relaxed further, finally finding comfort.

Lance’s voice was even smaller than before, “Thank you Keith.”

“For what?”

“For coming back home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The allusive mistress that goes by the name inspiration has struck - but she's fleeting! Editing the previous chapter is still on my to-do list but for now, enjoy.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey thanks for sticking with me through this fic! Only one more to go!
> 
> I'm quite proud of this chapter and its midnight, so enjoy!

Shiro and Keith sat in the darkened pod chamber. Looking at the mounted clock, it was around 4am, seven hours since Lance had gone into his pod and three since Keith had fallen out of his. The whole team had been waiting, but once Keith was all healed, Shiro told everyone to get some well deserved rest. They all obliged. 

Keith’s head was clear, but a cold was stuck stubbornly at the ends of all of his limbs. Shiro placed a thick blanket on him and sat down next to him on the ground, looking up at Lance. Without missing a beat, Keith immediately started filling him in on what happened, and how Lance saved his life. He told him an overview of all the stories he’d told Lance, unintentionally but repeatedly going off on side babbles about Lance.

Shiro listened to him ramble, mostly because he wasn't the type to. Keith would never go off on tangents, was never the one to speak in run-on sentences, but this was different. That was painfully obvious to Shiro. It was heartwarming to Shiro… seeing Keith thoroughly smitten. He’d sat there, smiling as Keith babbled, until Keith mentioned one story that wasn't his own. 

“You told him the story of when Adam and I first met?” Shiro gasped, over dramatically. 

“We were telling a bunch of stories Shiro, not just that one.”

“I trusted you Keith.” Shiro said, over-zealously. 

Keith smirked and suppressed a laugh. 

“Why are you so embarrassed-”

“Don’t remind me!”

“What?? His dog just though your foot was a-“

“PLEASE.”

“Fine.”

They sat there in silence for at least thirty seconds before Shiro couldn't hold it back any longer. A laugh burst out of him, a deep and infectious laugh that Keith had only heard a hand full of times since they’d left Earth. Obviously, Keith couldn't help but join in.

After what some would say is too long of a laughing fit, Shiro finally caught his breath and clutched his sides. He looked at the ground, a fond smile forming and blooming into something... wistful.

“Keith… did I ever tell you the story of when I figured out Adam was the one?”

Keith’s laughter caught in his throat with surprise, and he couldn't suppress that smile.

“Well I’m gonna tell you anyway.” Shiro said only seconds after asking in the first place.

He readjusted himself on the cold ground, going criss-cross but still not looking directly at Keith.

“It was during our last year as cadets at the Garrison. We’d been seeing each other for a while, but once, we’d been paired to perform a set drill. The drill counted for a huge chunk of our final grade, and we both knew that, but Adam was goofing around like he always did.”

Keith watched Shiro’s face slip into a sort of sorrowful nostalgia, but noted a fond smile tugging at his lips.

“We performed the drill beautifully, but we also had to land the planes in a very specific, controlled way. But before I could, I heard him over the comms. He had somehow cut the connection with the ground and now could talk freely to me. He was gushing about how proud he was of us. How much he couldn't wait to graduate with me so we could fly these things all the time. But then he said, that we should take one last joy ride. And I said yes. I don't know what came over me, but I felt a tug, kinda? And I knew I didn’t want our last flight to end, let alone end it unceremoniously. We both pulled our noses upwards, and caught the wind straight up. Once we made it up another few thousand feet, without even talking, we both went into free fall. He was laughing _so hard_.”

Shiro put his hand on his forehead and rubbed the space between his eyebrows with his middle and ring finger. The smile was bitter sweet now.

“His laugh was like music to me. It kinda filled by chest and made me breath again. And I — don’t give me that look I know its cheesy but its my story here Keith — And I couldn't help but feel like there, in the sky… together… was where we always were meant to be. I knew that day that I would do anything to hear that laugh every day of my life… but then my disease revved its ugly head and the Kerboros mission was offered to me and I just made so many dumb decisions that l didn’t try to fight against. I didn’t fight to keep him by my side and so I lost him. And I lost a part of myself. And I regret it everyday.”

“Listen I don't mean to bring the mood too down but I hope you get why I’m telling you this, Keith. Do you understand?”

Keith’s face was simultaneously frigid and flushed at the same time. 

“You know, when I was…gone? It was like a weird empty hell-scape full of red space dust and dim stars. And this uh, black hole thing was right on my heels trying to pull me into this cold abyss. One thing pulled me out though… I could hear Lance’s voice coming from the only blue star in the sky. As soon as I held that star, I felt so warm…and all of the cold melted as I held the star, all I could feel was just _Lance_ , and I knew that I couldn't leave him. He pulled me back. I was gone and he pulled me back, Shiro.”

“Do you think you’d defy Iverson for him?” Shiro asked, his smirk easily heard in his very voice.

Keith laughed, and let himself smile again.

“I wouldn't hesitate.”

________

After about another hour of talking, Keith noticed how Shiro was starting to doze off. He insisted that he head to bed, and Shiro only fought him for a second. Shiro said he’d see him and Lance in the morning… even though it technically was morning. 

Keith looked back up at Lance.

He looked like he was concentrating really hard on beating a video game, but one that was happening on the inside of his eyelids. 

He looked at his face and studied every inch for the thousandth time since he was put in that pod. 

He really was beautiful. 

Keith stood up, thick blanket still clutched around him, and went up to the pod. He put his hand on the glass, just above his chest, and let his head plop against the cold surface. He was definitely exhausted, and his mind was working slower than he’d ever admit, and only one though was filtered passed his lips.

“Hurry up and get your ass out here… I want you to tell me more stories…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added some art to the previous chapter if you want to check it out! 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Leave a comment telling me what you thought!

**Author's Note:**

> MORE TO COME!!


End file.
